The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said it will carefully study the judgment of a Federal High Court in Abuja that nullified aspects of its timetable for the 2027 general elections before deciding its next line of action.
The commission’s position comes after the court ruled that it lacks the statutory powers to fix or prescribe timelines for political parties’ primaries and nomination processes ahead of general elections.
The ruling, delivered on Wednesday by Justice Mohammed Umar of the Federal High Court, Abuja, arose from a suit filed by the Youth Party, challenging INEC’s revised election timetable which set deadlines for political parties to submit membership registers, conduct primaries, and forward candidate nominations for the 2027 polls.
In its judgment, the court held that provisions of Sections 29, 82 and 84(1) of the Electoral Act, 2026, do not empower Independent National Electoral Commission to abridge or impose timelines on political parties regarding the conduct of their primaries.
Justice Umar further declared that while INEC is empowered to receive notices of primaries, monitor party processes, and handle candidate submissions, such powers do not extend to prescribing when parties must conduct their internal elections.
The court also faulted the commission for attempting to shorten statutory timelines for the submission of candidates’ particulars, describing such action as inconsistent with the Electoral Act.
The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/517/2016, was instituted by the Youth Party, which asked the court to determine the extent of INEC’s regulatory powers over party primaries ahead of elections.
Reacting to the development on Friday, INEC said it had not formally received the enrolled judgment and would not take a definitive position based on media reports.
The Director of Voter Education and Publicity at the commission, Victoria Eta-Messi, said INEC would first scrutinise the full judgment before determining its next steps.
“We have not received the judgement, and we cannot comment on it. Yes, the judgement is in the public domain, but we don’t know the reasons for the decision that was taken,” she said.
“So, there’s need to study the whole judgement and decide on the next step to take.”
The ruling is expected to trigger fresh legal and administrative considerations within the electoral body as preparations for the 2027 general elections continue.
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